Bushy hair and Sacrifices
by xsmittenx
Summary: Draco and Hermione are the new famous couple at Hogwarts. But there are some who don't want them to be together. How far will Draco go to save his lover, and will it be too late? Sequal to Walking the Line x
1. The Morning After

**Hellooooo! For those of you who don't know, this is the sequal to my other story, Walking the Line (which explains why Draco and Hermione are in bed together) ;)**

I blinked hard, and rubbed my eyes as I was dazzled by the bright sunlight spilling through the large windows. I smiled at the red and gold décor in the room. Imagine if father dear could see me now! I looked down at the figure curled up on the bed beside me. Her mane of bushy hair was spread over the pillow, and a few stray wisps fell elegantly over her flawless face. I sighed contentedly. She looked so beautiful. I couldn't resist leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. I couldn't believe that finally, after all these years, this little angel was all mine.

She stirred, and I felt instantly guilty for waking her. Her eyelids flickered open to reveal a pair of innocent brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry I woke you… Go back to sleep…" I coaxed. She smiled up at me, and my heart fluttered.

"Don't worry. There's nothing else I'd prefer to wake up to," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me a soft, lingering 'good morning' kiss.  
"Do you have a map?" I asked. Her eyebrows creased into a look of confusion. "I think I just got lost in your eyes." She grinned.

"Do you have any crackers?" Now it was my turn to look confused. "Cos that line was so cheesy!" I smiled. She needed more practise.

"Go back to sleep," I repeated, "we still have ages. And you need your beauty sleep!" I teased. She slapped me jokingly, but instead of removing her hand she pulled me in for another kiss.

"How could I go to sleep, now that I know what I would be missing?" I gave her a look of mock anger, as I straddled her and pinned her arms above her head. It was then that she caught sight of the clock on the wall. "Draco!" she shrieked. "Get off, we're going to be late for lessons!" I groaned. Typical Hermione. Reluctantly, I let her up, but still held on to one arm. "Get out, Draco!"

"But I don't want to leave…" I moaned, latching onto her leg playfully. She ruffled my hair, and seemed torn between annoyance and amusement. Luckily for me, amusement won.

"I suppose we could have breakfast up here," she said, grabbing her wand off the dressing table. A plate of sandwiches appeared. I looked at the clock.

"Hmm, we have about… ten minutes to spare," I said, standing up, wrapping my arms around her slender waist and pulling her towards me. "What could we do in ten minutes…?" I wondered facetiously. She smiled naughtily, and followed me back to the bed.

Hermione had potions first too. Our little, um… 'frolic', shall we say, lasted longer than expected, and we were already two minutes late. And counting. But I was damned if I was going to tell her that, as she seemed blissfully unaware that today was the first day of her life that she was actually late for a lesson. As we reached the door to the potions room, she held back slightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly, one hand on the door.

"It's nothing… just that… Everyone's going to know we're together," she said, looking at me searchingly. "Maybe we should… I don't know… go in separately or something?" I smiled at how worried she looked.

"You just don't want to be the very last person into class!" I fake-scolded her. She looked down at the floor. I stepped back so I was facing her, and placed both my hands on her face, forcing her to look at me. "Look Hermione, I don't have a problem with everyone knowing I'm in love with you. But, if that's the way my girlfriend wants to do it, then that's the way it's going to be done." She smiled gratefully, and rewarded me with a quick peck on the lips.

"That's sweet… You know what? If you don't have a problem with it, then neither do I." I smiled at her. Then, hand in hand, we entered the dungeon.

**Please please please please please please review!!!!! If your lucky and are super nice to me I might send you a cupcake :)**


	2. Extra Sharp bits of Chalk

**Thanks for the lurvely reviews! Special thanks to ClosedxHeart! Loved your review :) :) :) Also thanks to Celina Corey, TreeHillLove23, Fourth Dimension, Shakuma-Marie-Uchiha. And hi again to voldyismyfather and The girl with the ink-heart :)**

Everyone turned round as we walked in the room. A wave of whispering started from the desks nearest us, then spread like the plague to the front of the dungeon. I caught a few of the whispered comments: "Our Hermione and MALFOY?" "Is this a joke?" "What's he doing with that Mudblood scum?" Anger pulsed through my body. Hermione was blushing fiercely, I could tell from the heat radiating off her skin. I squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back feebly. My baby is upset! What to do…

"You know, by the way these nosy gits are staring, you'd think I'd sprouted an extra head!" I said loudly, to no one in particular. This seemed to shut most people up. Thankfully, Hermione was now smiling.

It was then that I noticed Snape had been writing on the blackboard, with his back towards us, that whole time. Terrifyingly slowly, he turned around. His face gave away no hint at his emotions, but his hypnotic, unblinking eyes latched onto mine with such intensity that I feared they would burn a hole right through my skull. However, I met his gaze unfalteringly, defiantly, keeping a tight hold to Hermione's hand.

"Detention, Draco," he snarled. "Stay behind after the lesson." Giving me one last searching look, he turned and began writing on the blackboard again as if nothing had happened. I wasn't worried, though. Snape wouldn't do anything to me. I winked at my uneasy looking girlfriend, before walking away from her to my desk, waiting until the very last second to let go of her hand.

All through the lesson, I waited for an opportunity to switch desks with Harry who was working next to her. After my years of torturing him, I was eventually realising that it's possible that he… may not be _totally _bad. Anyway I was sure that he would consent to swapping places, if not for my benefit, then for Hermione's.

However the chance never came. Snape filled the whole lesson with an excruciatingly boring lecture on the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and threw board rubbers and bits of chalk at anyone who appeared to be dozing off. Fortunately, I was practised in the art of 'looking-wide-awake-and-interested-when-really-you've-totally-stopped-listening-and-are-bored-as-hell', so I spent the lesson daydreaming about Hermione…

I jerked awake as an especially sharp bit of chalk collided with my head. I glared at Snape, and gave him the finger when he wasn't looking. Ok, maybe not as practised as I'd thought. I looked over to see Hermione laughing silently at me. I rolled my eyes at her, then mouthed 'I love you'. She turned slightly pink, then mouthed 'I love you too…" We just sat there staring at each other across the room, until Snape signalled the end of the lesson. In the general hubbub, I got up, walked over to the Griffindor side of the room. I sneaked up behind Hermione, and wrapped my arms around her waist, laughing softly in her ear at her adorable little squeak of surprise. She turned around and kissed me briefly, tongue flitting seductively over my lips, and I shivered in delight. I found it hard to tear myself away, but people were trickling out of the room, leaving us more and more alone with Snape.

"I'll be right outside waiting for you," she whispered. I smiled and kissed her quickly on the tip of her nose, as she gathered up her bag and left the room, leaving me to face Snape alone.

He swept down from his desk, and advanced menacingly on me. As he came closer I could tell he wanted me to back away from him, but I stood still, testing his nerve. He kept walking until he was millimetres away from me, our chests almost touching. He stared down his nose at me, although I was barely able to see him, we were standing so close together.

"What… do you think… you are…. doing?" he asked, painfully slowly.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Sir," I replied pleasantly.

"Your father will most certainly not be pleased that his reputation is being… besmirched," he growled. I smiled bitterly.

"_He_ did that when he got himself thrown in Azkaban." For a moment I thought Snape was going to slap me, but then he said:

"It's not just Malfoy honour. It is the name of the Dark Lord you are treading into the mud. If you hope to join our ranks one day, perhaps you should start thinking more carefully about…" he looked witheringly at the door, as if he could see Hermione waiting on the other side of it. "…Where your loyalties lie," he finished through gritted teeth.

"Well maybe I don't want to 'join your ranks'? Have you ever considered THAT, Snape?"

He looked at me as if I was a lump of dog muck stuck to a new carpet. I could hear something dripping far away, and inhaled the damp, mossy smell that hung heavily in the air. There was a pause that seemed to stretch into infinity.

"That's _Professor _Snape, to _you_," he said icily, his voice saturated with loathing. "Your father shall hear about this," he snapped. "You have befouled the proud name of Slytherin for the last time. I have nothing more to say to you."

**By the way, I realise this is kind of mixed up, because by this time in the books, Draco should have already joined the Death Eaters, and I'm sure that there will be other things that don't quite match up. But I'm afraid you'll have to live with it.**

**Don't forget to review! You know you want to, reealllyyyyy! :)**

**(and read Walking the Line, if you haven't already!)**

**Cookies for all who do! :)**


	3. Cornflakes

**Sorry, all. This is more of a link chapter, leading up to what will happen next :) Thanks for all the complimentary reviews!**

It wasn't hard to forget Snape's warning in my detention. I was his favourite pupil – he wouldn't do anything, and even if he did my father would hex him so bad he would hardly be able to walk. However, it was harder to get over some of the comments that our fellow students were making. Many times, when Hermione looked particularly tearful, I had to corner people and threaten them that 'if they didn't shut up, I would shove their head so far up their ass that they would be talking out of their armpit,' (not within Hermione's hearing, of course.) That usually shut them up.

Of course I can't go around with my old friends anymore. They think I'm a traitor for going out with a 'Mudblood'. Some think I'm just messing with her, or that it's all just one big prank or dare. That's when I punch them. I often joke with Hermione about how lucky she is that I chose her over them. She always laughs at that…

Hermione and I usually spend a few hours in the Griffindor common room every evening, before going back to our private head boy/girl rooms. The Griffindors have been slightly more accepting than the other houses, and I have taken to sitting with Harry, Ron and Hermione in lessons. Harry, it turns out, is surprisingly nice. He even laughed when I introduced myself as 'Draco Malfoy, former Prick-head.' We have to avoid edgy topics like the Dark Lord, but overall I think we can become good friends. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Ron. He seems to be in a permanent bad mood, when I'm around at least. Hermione confided in me that it's because he still fancies her, but personally, I think they'd make a terrible couple. Plus if he really likes her, he'd be able to see how happy she is with me (touchwood). And if that wan't enough, it seems that news of us has even reached the teachers. Professor McGonagoll has been uncharacteristically nice to me lately, and didn't even tell me off when I disobeyed the seating plan so I could sit with the Griffindors, and talked with Harry all the way through her lesson.

"Draco, my little slithering friend! Come sit over here!" Harry called, when Hermione and I arrived late for breakfast one morning. We joined him at the Griffindor table. As I sat down, the other boys around me gave me dirty looks, and shuffled further away, but nothing could dampen my spirits that morning. I was so happy to be invited to eat with them by someone other than Hermione, that I forgot to even be offended by the Slytherins whispering about me from across the room. I helped myself to a large bowl of cereal, just as Ginny said "Hey, Draco, Pansy's watching you!" I looked around. Pansy Parkinson was staring at me from the Slytherin table, and seemed to be in a daze. When she saw that I had caught her, she shook herself and gave me a dark look, before dropping her eyes to her apparently very interesting plate of toast, turning bright red. I smiled, and placed my free arm around Hermione's waist, and she responded by feeding me a Cornflake that I had spilt on the table. I licked her fingers playfully, and grinned as she suppressed a moan. Ron mimed vomiting into his bowl. "God, get a room!"

"We have one, we just prefer annoying you guys!" Hermione answered happily.

"You know…" I said thoughtfully, "I've been having a much better time with you lot than I ever did with my old friends…" It felt right, somehow to say it out loud, as if I was finally admitting to myself that I was unhappy before. It felt like a lifetime ago, a totally different me.

"You could ask McGonagoll if you could get transferred into Griffindor," suggested Ginny.

"No… the sorting hat's word is law," Harry replied. "Besides, what would 'Daddy' say?" I smiled ruefully, thinking back to my conversation with Snape, and didn't answer.

**Aw! Ya gotta love him :)**


	4. Whipped

**'Ello Beautiful: Yeah, I think they only accepted him cos it was important to Hermione… And I was trying to fully develop the side of him that we would've seen if he had turned to the light side after trying to kill Dumbledore (except in my story he hasn't joined the Dark Lord yet so… =S )**

****Disclaimer: I do own Harry Potter and all associated plots and characters because I am, in fact, JK Rowling.****

**PSYCHE!!!!!**

"Detention, Granger!" Snape had had it in for Hermione even more than usual ever since our 'little talk'.

"But she didn't do anything!" I protested loudly.

"As touching as your over-protectiveness is, Mr Malfoy, I believe it is me who decides whether or not to give someone detention." Snape said coldly.

"But –"

"And as for her not doing anything, that is precisely the problem," he continued. "She has not listened to a word of my instructions, choosing instead to stare across the classroom at you." Hermione blushed fiercely as all eyes in the room swivelled to look at her.  
"I was doing it too, give me –"

He interrupted me again. "No, you were, I think, sufficiently punished _last time._" Was that a hint of a sneer in his voice?

I spent the remainder of the lesson in a childish sulk, refusing to do any of the work, which left my partner Goyle to concoct the potion. Fortunately, he was only too happy about this, as it meant he didn't have to talk me, the 'Blood-traitor scum'. I noticed Pansy was making eyes at me again, and I stared vacantly back at her, not realising what I was doing until she made a rude hand gesture at me, and turned away. I raised my eyebrows and snorted in derision, before returning to my daydreaming, watching the second hand on my watch creep round laboriously slowly, counting down the long, torturous seconds until I could get out of that hell-hole.

Finally, at long, long last the bell chimed signalling the end of the lesson. I scrambled out of my seat and rushed over to Hermione. She saw me and smiled demurely, putting her hands on my shoulders.

"It seems you're a bad influence on me, _Mr Malfoy_," she said, pressing her body nearer to mine.

"Mmm…" I murmured in vague agreement, more occupied with her actions than her words. Even though it had been several weeks since we started to go out, I still felt the same wonderful shiver down my spine every time she touched me.

"Ha! You are so whipped!" she laughed, pushing me away. "See you after detention, ok?"

"I'll be waiting…" I said, in a low, exceedingly 'drama queen-ish' voice. She giggled adorably, and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, before I left to wait outside for her. I leant on the dripping, slime covered wall, watching all the people file past me out of the classroom. Crabbe and Goyle, my former best friends, stopped in front of me, and Crabbe had his mouth hung open as if he was about to say something. I mimed closing my jaw and gave him my best patronising look, then pointed with my thumb up the corridor.  
"Jog on, Dipshit."

* * *

Hermione stood in the dank, musty dungeon waiting for Snape to stop wiping the blackboard. He could easily have cleaned it with his wand, but for some reason he seemed content with the use of a board rubber. Her eyes roamed over the straining shelves stacked high with jars. She saw shrunken heads, bobbing around in sickening green liquid, and beetles and small creatures even she didn't recognise, perfectly preserved in the beakers. She shivered. She watched meekly as Snape slowly turned to face her, and glided out from behind his desk, the long trailing cloak spread out behind him like a wedding veil.

"How _dare_ you," he said slowly, almost painfully. "Disrespect my lesson. Not only that. How dare you deface the good name of Malfoy by contaminating Draco with your filth." He almost spat the last word, and she recoiled, terrified. "Stick to your own house, Granger, that's what they're there for. You are to stop seeing Draco. You will no longer speak or communicate from this moment forwards. Do you understand?" Her voice seemed to have shrivelled up along with her courage as she stared at him with wide eyes. "Do you _understand?_" After a moment's concentration, she managed to find her voice.

"With respect, Sir, it is not up to you who I talk to," she squeaked. He smiled grimly, and twirled his wand between his long, skeletal fingers.

"Then I believe we have a problem."

* * *

Ok, I know it's wrong to listen at doors. But when your girlfriend is trapped in a room alone with your new enemy who just threatened to get rid of her, its hard not to do something. I was already livid about what he had ordered her to do, so when I heard his flat, monotonous voice start saying something that sounded suspiciously like a curse, I was acting on instinct when I blew open the door and stormed into the room.

"Permissum cruciatus visum…" Snape's wand was pointing directly at Hermione's chest, and his beady black eyes were locked unblinkingly on her face. She seemed to be in a trance, and stared unwaveringly back at him, slack jawed and wide eyed. "...Vomica vos insquequo…" That was no normal curse, I was sure of it – that was really dark magic. Without thinking, I leapt in front of Hermione, between her and Snape.

"STUPEFY!" I bellowed.

"...Mortalitas leino vos!" finished Snape.

A jet of red light erupted out of my wand, missing the pale smoke shooting from his by millimetres. The last thing I saw was Severus Snape crumpling to the floor, before pain exploded across my chest.

**Well there you go :) another chapter finished  
AND that was real latin by the way: how hot am I! ;) I got it off a translator site though so it's not likley to be right**


	5. My Brown and Bushy Haloed Angel

**No reviews since Sunday?! This makes me very sad… :'(**

The searing agony engulfed me completely. Every one of my nerves were screaming, sending spasms up and down my fragile body. I no longer had control of my limbs – I could feel myself writhing around on something, I assumed it was the floor. It felt like my whole body was burning up, sizzling my skin where it was being touched by my suffocating robes, but I was strangely cold at the same time. I had no idea where I was, but it no longer mattered. It hurt too much to think about anything, so I just surrendered to the torturous pain. It sounds like a cliché, but I would have given anything in the world to die right then and there. 'Well,' said a nagging voice in my head, 'perhaps not _anything…_' I ground my teeth together to stop myself screaming out loud. It took me a while to understand what the little voice meant. I was confused. What could be so special I wouldn't sacrifice it for an end to this?

A thought struck me. What if I was already dead? What if this was hell, and I was doomed to this suffering for eternity? Seized by a sudden panic, I struggled to sit up. An icy hand pushed me gently back down. A gasp escaped my lips. The coolness felt heavenly against my shoulder, but I had no strength left to move my lips to beg for them to touch me again. But was it a hand? It was hard to tell, as my vision was blurred, and my eyes were screwed up tight against the pain. A tear squeezed it's self out of the gap between my eyelids, as I fought to see who or what had touched me. I couldn't see much, it was mostly black, but there was something pale moving above me. There was something that could have been brown and bushy surrounding its head. I noticed the strange white thing looked a little human shaped. Maybe it was an angel, and the brown bushy thing was a halo. But why would there be angels in hell? And why would they have _bushy_ halos? It was too painful to keep my eyes open any longer, so with relief I let my eyelids droop shut. There was now nothing to distract me from the blistering agony. It was almost solid, as if there was a little, flaming creature living in me, trying desperately to claw its way out, and ripping my insides to pieces as it did so. I couldn't stop myself from yelling out, it was just too much to handle.

A wave of blissful cold washed over me as if I had just dropped into a freezing swimming pool. I willed my eyes to open. The white hand was back, and it was pressed softly to my forehead. The red-hot pain was being dimmed; I could feel my arms and legs again. My hands found the floor, and I pressed down on it hard, like a sort of confirmation that I was still there, fighting. I worked up enough strength to open my eyes again, and I found myself looking up at the white and brown creature. Something wet and salty fell from above, and splashed onto my face. But then the white thing moved away again, the brown halo bouncing slightly. It reminded me of something but I couldn't quite place what. The hand was removed from my face, and the agony took over once more. I felt myself slipping away again, as my arms started twitching of their own accord.

BANG!

I opened my eyes to see two, bigger white things, one with a triangle of purple underneath it emerging from a rectangle of light. This angel must be wearing a dress. I tried to ask for help, but the words wouldn't come. All I could manage was a kind of strangled moan. The purple-dressed one made a noise. I knew it was talking, but I had no idea what it was saying. The brown and white one next to me with the icy touch replied quickly. Something about her voice triggered me. It was as if a light switch had been turned on in my head. I realised at once what the voice in my head had been talking about. As if in slow motion, a bolt of yellow light flew straight at me from the third white blob. I managed to whisper one thing before I blacked out.

"Her…mi…one…"

**Ok this might need a bit of explaining.**

**In the last chapter Snape was trying to curse Hermione because he was angry that she wouldn't stop seeing Draco. He had been eavesdropping, and ran in front of her to take the curse instead, stunning Snape at the same time. The white angel with the brown halo is of course, Hermione (He can't see her black robes against the dark of the dungeon). The 'bang' is when the door slammed open, hence the rectangle of light. The two figures are teachers, probably Mcgonagall and Dumbledore. She's wearing black robes, which don't show up when she enters, and Dumbledore's wearing purple robes.**

**Please please please review! I'm eating victoria sponge at the moment, and if you review i might send you a slice :)**


	6. HELP!

**Hoddy all! Oh nooo.... I have no idea where to go from here.. if anyone has any ideas, put them in a review or private mail, cos otherwise i'm just going to abandon this story! On the bright side, I am starting a new story, which will be called Glittering Green Web. Teaser here:**

**In a world where Harry is a camp prefect, Ginny got Ron expelled, and a feisty former-Durmstrang student has joined Hogwarts, life is not quite as it seems. Hermione has a dark secret, which only one person knows about… One person who's known all along…**

**Cookies to all reviewers (fresh out the oven!), love you guys! Any ideas, any at all, mail me!**

**xx**


End file.
